Audiara - A Lady's Story
by Ariella
Summary: It's done! I finally finished! So it took me three months - who's counting? R/R PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1. Audiara

I wrote this because I've seen so many stories about lady knights, and I started wondering how all the other ladies felt around them. Hope you enjoy, and plz review!  
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Audiara stood at the top of the reception stairs in the Great Hall, waiting for her name to be announced. She caught herself chewing on a delicately tinted nail and thrust both her hands behind her back, out of sight. "Now, Audiara, you have no reason to be nervous!" she thought to herself. After all, her last six years had been spent in a convent preparing for this moment. She took a deep breath and smoothed her skirt, noticing as she did that her hands were shaking. Irritated, she hid them again just as the trumpets below her blared.  
"Presenting Audiara of Legann, daughter of Imrah and Marielle of Legann!" The herald declared, turning to watch Audiara's progress down the grand staircase. Audiara grasped the railing with one hand, using the other to hold out her heavy formal skirts as she had been taught. Now that the moment was upon her, she realized how irrational her many fears had been. After all, how hard was it to walk down a staircase? Relaxing, Audie risked a smile and a look around. Below her the gathered nobles were smiling and whispering to one another. To her right, a squire was waiting to present her to the King and Queen. Right in front of her was a small furry streak...Audie's eyes widened and her lips parted in a small scream as she tripped over the cat and felt herself falling down, down that long, ceremonial staircase, leaving all dreams of glory and honor behind her...  



	2. Interlude with the Queen

Here's the second installment! Hope you like it :)  
  
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Audiara sat on an embroidered stool in the Queen's parlor,  
waiting for Her Majesty to receive her. Closing her eyes, she recalled  
what had happened after that nightmare of a fall. On her way down she  
had heard the gasps and screams of the court, and a voice wailing,"No!  
Cream, come back here!" She had passed out at the bottom of the   
bottom of the staircase, and when she next woke up she was in her bed  
in the room she was assigned. On her dresser was a note from the Queen,  
requesting an audience. Now that she was here, Audie knew she was about  
to be sent home. After all, who would want a lady who couldn't even   
walk down the stairs without falling? Her father would kill her...Audie  
jumped up from her stool as Queen Thayet entered the room.  
  
"Please sit down, dear." Thayet smiled at the trembling girl in  
front of her. "Now, first I want to apologize for the incident   
yesterday. It was unfortunate that it happened during your first  
appearance, but I think we can turn that to your advantage. Most people  
feel nothing but sympathy for you." Audie gaped at Thayet in surprise.  
  
"I'm not to be sent home? People don't think I'm silly or   
clumsy or-" Thayet reached over and took Audie's hand, laughing at her  
distress.  
  
"No, no child! No one thinks you are any of those things, at  
least not from last night. Some people will always dislike you, but  
that's life. And it's certainly not your fault that one of the many  
palace creatures got loose." The Queen looked over at Audie and said,  
"That was what tripped you, by the way. One of the creatures Daine was  
nursing ran off and managed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  
So you see, there was nothing you could have done." Audie's mind was  
whirling from all the new information, but all she could think of was  
the cry from the night before.  
  
"Cream? Was that the cat?" Thayet looked at Audie in amazement.  
  
"Audiara, you are amazing. All that has happened, and you can  
still recall the name of the cat! Yes, Cream was the cat. Now, we have  
decided not to do another formal introduction, but there is a ball   
coming up at which we will present you to the court. Is that alright  
with you?" Audiara nodded. "Very well then. I hope to see you again   
soon." Thayet rose and took Audie's hand. "You are very welcome here,  
Audiara."  
  
  
  



	3. Introduction to Court

Thanks for all the nice reviews! Sorry to those who the first part was  
confusing, hopefully I'll be able to avoid that now I have some clue of  
what I'm doing. *grins* This will also be longer, since a few people  
have requested it, but since I'm writing these in the few snatches of  
spare time I have, I can only do so much. Enjoy!  
WARNING: Some of the times in this may be a bit messed up, since I   
haven't read "Page" yet, so don't know whether so and so's a knight or  
what when Kel is still a squire.  
  
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Audiara walked back to her room, digesting the information she  
had just received from the Queen. "Well," she said to herself,"At least  
no one thinks I'm completely hopeless. And now I know why there was a   
cat in the Great Hall, and - oof!" Turning a corner, Audie had collided  
with a girl about her own age, garbed in breeches and a tunic. This   
must be one of the 'lady knights' she had heard so much talk of...but  
she didn't look all that special to Audie.  
  
"Sorry, must run!" the other girl gasped. "Lord Wyldon will  
skin me alive if I'm late!" Giving Audie a quick bow, she tore off down  
the hallway. Audie watched, bemused, when she heard another voice  
behind her.  
  
"Don't mind Satricia, if she's not five minutes early she  
thinks she's late." The speaker was a tall boy with suprisingly bright  
green eyes. He was followed by another girl and a boy who Audie thought  
looked vaguely familiar.  
  
"The schedule around here will cure her of that soon enough.  
C'mon you two, I'm hungry." That was the girl, beckoning to her  
companions. "Neal, Roald, hurry up or we'll be late!" Audiara gasped   
and almost bungled her curtsey in surprise. That familiar face was the   
prince! When she looked up, three pairs of laughing eyes were  
watching her.   
  
"You're new here, aren't you?" said the boy addressed as Neal.  
"Roald won't bite, and right now, he's just a squire like the rest of  
us. A hungry squire, if his stomach is being as insistant as mine is.  
So, if you'll excuse us, my lady, we are off to aquire sustanence."  
The boy gave Audie an extravagent bow before striding off down the   
hall. His companions followed, shaking their heads. Audie watched them  
go, wondering at the large amount of strange people she had met thus  
far.  
  
A WEEK LATER  
  
It was the night of the ball when Audiara was to be presented,  
and she was experiencing extreme deja vu. At least this time she didn't  
have to deal with any stairs. Audie stood in front of her mirror and  
admired her dress, smoothed her hair and fixed a stray curl. She was  
waiting for two of her new friends, other new court ladies who had  
helped her get over the embarrassment and insecurity of her first week.  
A rap at the door sent her scurrying over to throw it open. "Lisana!  
Kerrine! You look lovely!" Audie hugged them both gingerly, as they all  
tried to keep their gowns from tearing. Kerrine made a face.  
  
"Maybe I should have been a page...they get to wear breeches!"  
she declared. Lisana and Audiara giggled. "I'm serious! Oh, hush you  
two...let's go down." The trio swept down to the ballroom, where they  
joined the throng of people already dancing and talking. As Audie  
gazed around she noticed Kerrine was right - most of the female pages  
and squires were wearing a loose, flowy style of breeches that allowed  
much more movement than the heavy gowns of all the other girls. She  
noticed Kel and Neal, who waved before running off to the assortment of  
duties they had to attend to; as well as Daine, who she had visited in  
order to meet Cream. The cat had taken a liking to her, and now  
resided in Audie's rooms. But she paid the most attention to those she  
had not met - the lady pages and squires. From what Audie had heard,  
these girls did all the things the boys did, and that frightened her.  
How did they get to be so strong and self sufficient? Her parents knew  
Alanna the Lioness, and had nothing but respect for her, but Audie had  
assumed that she was a special case. It never occurred to her that   
other girls might want to follow in Alanna's footsteps! Someone tapped  
her on the shoulder, jerking her out of her reverie.  
  
"Sorry, did I startle you? I'm Tallitha and this is Mardria. We  
noticed you watching us across the room, and thought you looked   
lonesome." Audiara took Tallitha's offered hand, and found that the  
other girl had a grip that could shatter stone. Did that come from  
hauling around a sword and lance and...whatever else pages needed?  
No, that couldn't be it, because Mardria's handshake was gentle...  
perhaps she knew the effect her friend had on others fingers. Audie  
introduced herself and moved aside to let Kerrine and Lisana meet the  
new girls. As she peered around the room again she heard the trumpet  
fanfare that announced the entrance of the King and Queen. Everyone  
sank to their knees as their Majesties took their seats. Thayet  
surveyed the room and caught Audiara's eye, beckoning her towards the   
throne. Rising, Audie tried not to tremble as she made her way forward  
to try this introduction for the second time around.  
  



	4. The Grand Finale

A/N: Sorry that this has taken so long! I kinda got frustrated and gave  
up on it for a while (I have the attention span of an inattentive two-  
year old!) but I'm back! All those nice reviews persuaded me to make a   
second attempt, so here it goes-  
  
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Audiara's stomach was a mass of butterflies by the time she reached the  
King and Queen. Their Majesties smiled at her, and Thayet reached over  
to take her hand. "Don't worry, you look lovely." the Queen whispered.  
Audie tried to smile, but she felt frozen. Turning out to face the   
court, Thayet waited for the murmurs to die down before making her   
announcement. "Good evening, everyone! I hope you are all enjoying   
yourselves, and I shall not take up too much of your time by rambling   
on." There was a brief spate of laughter, and Audie relaxed a fraction,  
managing to paste a smile on her face. "I am sure you all remember   
Audiara of Legann, whose introduction to Court ended in a minor   
catastrophe." Thayet paused. "The pun was unintentional, I assure you!"  
Even Audiara managed to laugh this time, and the Queen squeezed her   
hand. "Rather than put the poor girl through that again, we decided to  
present her to you all tonight. Will you please welcome Audiara,   
daughter of Imrah and Marielle of Legann!" The room exploded in   
applause as Audiara made her curtsey. Raising her eyes slightly, Audie   
could see all her new friends clapping hardest of all. Grinning from   
ear to ear, she curtseyed again, this time to the King and Queen,   
before gliding off to join Kerrine and Lisana again. Several new faces   
came up to greet her, most of them girls her own age.  
  
"Now aren't you glad you stayed?" Kerrine whispered in Audie's ear.   
"Half the girls we just talked to were pages or squires who said they   
would have died of embarrassment if something like that happened to   
them!" Audie stopped and spun around to face her friend.  
  
"They said that? Really?" she asked. Kerrine nodded, smirking a bit   
before schooling her face into a proper, polite, smile. Kerri had   
thought Audie's ideas about lady knights were silly, and was thrilled   
at this opportunity to prove herself right. Audie rolled her eyes and   
looked around her thoughtfully. Reluctantly she admitted to herself   
that Kerri was right - the girls who wanted to become knights weren't   
all that different from herself. They just had different ways of   
expressing themselves. As she turned back to the crowd, Audie caught a   
snatch of Kel's conversation with Neal about the use of a lance, and   
grimaced. She preferred her mode of expression. Daine waved to Audie   
from across the room, and Audiara started across, keeping her eyes down  
to avoid trodding on people's toes. When she was halfway across, she   
saw a small furry streak in front of her, and heard someone wailing,   
"No! Cream, come back here!"  
  
A/N: Ok, it's still short, and it ends kinda fast, and the ending is   
just plain sadistic, but is it otherwise ok? *grins* Reviews are   
greatly appreciated, flame if you must (I'm cold anyway!) and I'll   
try to write something new soon!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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